We attempt to break down polarizing prospect LaMelo Ball. We attempt to break down polarizing prospect LaMelo Ball.
Up until three years ago, not many people had heard of the South-West city of Chino Hills. Then, the Ball family went viral. Highlight reel after highlight reel came flying out of Chino Hills High School thanks to the now infamous ‘Ball Brothers’. If you were unaware, Lonzo Ball, Liangelo Ball, and LaMelo Ball are the ‘Ball Brothers’ from Chino Hills that swept the internet recently. You may also know of the father of these children, Lavar Ball, and perhaps you have heard some of his wildly outlandish comments. However, this report isn’t about the hype and controversy surrounding the family. This report is about a conundrum most NBA teams have with the two younger Ball Brothers, especially LaMelo.
I must begin with a slightly debatable statement: Liangelo and LaMelo can play basketball – Extremely well. In the BBB Challenge games, a 5-game series of friendlies, Liangelo has been averaging 26 points per game, whilst LaMelo has been averaging 21.7 points per game. In the LKL, Lithuania’s professional league, Liangelo has been averaging 10 points on .368% shooting from the field, 0.5 assists per game, 1.5 rebounds per game, 0.5 steals per game and 1 turnover per game whilst being on the court for an average of 17.2 minutes. LaMelo, who has only been receiving 11.9 minutes per game in the LKL, has been averaging 6.5 points per game, 1 assist per game, 1.5 rebounds per game, 1.5 steals with 0.5 turnovers per game and shooting 0.214% from the field.
For a 19-year-old who is eligible for the 2018 draft, Liangelo will probably not be hearing his name called on June 21st in the Barclays Center. However, for a 16-year-old LaMelo who is eligible for the 2019 draft, it may be a different story. Providing that LaMelo continues to develop and learn the game whilst playing in a reasonable league in Lithuania, rather than just shoot random 40 footers, I believe he will be drafted, however, many teams will certainly be looking at other prospects.
Here’s the conundrum with LaMelo. Let’s begin with the positives. As LaMelo is perhaps the best shooter in the class of 2019 and standing at a very respectable 6”5, with time to grow, LaMelo could make a very decent guard in the league. Another positive is the experience LaMelo is currently gaining whilst playing overseas. Many NBA teams take gambles on prospects with their picks in the draft, however when you know a prospect can play professionally and have the correct mindset to do so, you feel a lot more confident in your pick. Although LaMelo doesn’t currently understand the concept of knowing when to stop shooting, it sometimes pays off. LaMelo dropped 43 points in his last game, shooting 5 straight threes late in the 4th quarter to give his team the lead, and the win. Situations like these make head scouts salivate over the possibility of having this prospect on their team. But like most conundrums, the real question is do the positives outweigh the negatives?
LaMelo is flawed. Like mentioned above, the kid doesn’t know when to stop shooting. In his 2 legitimate league games, LaMelo shot a cringe-worthy 0.214% from the field and 0% from behind the arc on 7 attempts. This would place LaMelo dead last in field goal percentage and three-point percentage if he were playing in the NBA this year. His assist average of 1 per game would mean he would be equal last for assists per game out of the current NBA guard rookies this season. Then there is his father. Although I’ve tried to avoid Lavar this whole time, I can’t ignore the fact that most teams are worried about what Lavar Ball will say and/or act on. His recent controversial comments on Luke Walton’s coaching ability have resulted in the Los Angeles Lakers having to enforce a new policy, colloquially known as the ‘Lavar Ball rule’, that prohibits media from interviewing players’ family, friends, and/or agents at the game. The ‘Lavar Ball factor’ could possibly have a larger influence on LaMelo Ball’s draft stock than most people care to believe.
So, I’ll leave the answer of the ‘LaMelo Ball Conundrum’ up to you. Do you believe LaMelo has what it takes, and is worth an NBA team taking a risk on, to perform in the NBA?
